The Australian Open in Melbourne is one of the world’s most popular professional tennis tournaments. A study shows that the first Grand Slam of the year is also well received by the spectators.
The world’s population currently stands at almost seven and a half billion people. If, on the other hand, the audience figures of the last Australian Open are presented, about one-seventh of all people around the world watched the tournament in Melbourne.
This means that the first Grand Slam of the year breaks the company’s own record.
The Happy Slam was broadcast in 220 countries and attracted nearly 900 million people to the TV set. Above all, the sensational success of the South Korean Hyeon Chung caused a boom. The NextGen star reached his first Grand Slam semi-final and triggered another tennis hype in Asia.
The 21-year-old’s quarter-final match against Tennys Sandgren saw 1.4 million people in South Korea and India. In China, the Major Down Under was broadcast for over 96 hours.
Of course, the men’s final match between tournament winner Roger Federer and runner-up Marin Cilic also ensured a high viewing rate. In Europe, the Eurosport TV station in particular was delighted to see an immense number of spectators – the tournament was broadcast in eleven countries in Europe.